Friday, 30 September 2011

the global battle against carbon emissions, carmakers have made considerable progress in recent years boosting fuel efficiency of their internal combustion engines thanks to gadgets like turbochargers, industry officials and analysts said.
Although it may be an odd-sounding name for a green technology, the turbocharger raises fuel efficiency levels by up to 40 per cent and is now included in 75 per cent of new cars in Europe. That could rise to nearly 90 per cent by 2015.
They are far less common in the United States, mainly due to North Americans’ aversion to diesel-powered cars, which are particularly suited to turbocharging — but that is expected to change soon in an era of strict fuel economy standards.
“The turbocharger is a green technology in the sense that it’s helping cut emissions and raise fuel economy,” said Craig Balis, vice-president for engineering at Honeywell Turbo Technologies, in an interview. “It’s a critical component to get more fuel efficiency out of the engine.”
While the mention of turbochargers might have once conjured up images of loud, powerful engines, they have in the meantime become a tool of choice for cutting carbon emissions.
A diesel engine fitted with a turbocharger can go 40 per cent further and a gas engine 20 per cent further on a litre of fuel.

Thursday, 29 September 2011

do you remember Dr Emet Brown in his Delorean.... will here comes your first Gigawatt action since then...

Producers of electric-car batteries such as LG Chem Ltd. and Johnson Controls Inc. are building new plants at such a pace that capacity will grow to almost double automakers’ demand, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report shows.

While manufacturers will have capacity to make 35 gigawatt hours of batteries by 2013, carmakers have committed to produce as many as 839,000 plug-in electric vehicles needing a total of 18 gigawatt-hours of storage, the London-based researcher said.

“The larger, mainly Asian, conglomerates can cope with limited demand and compete by lowering prices but smaller pure- play battery makers will be left vying for an increasingly limited number of supply contracts,” said Ali Izadi-Najafabadi, an energy technologies analyst at New Energy Finance.

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Does the world really even need electric cars?
In the global battle against carbon emissions, carmakers have made considerable progress in recent years boosting fuel efficiency of their internal combustion engines thanks to gadgets like turbochargers, industry officials and analysts said.

Although it may be an odd-sounding name for a green technology, the turbocharger raises fuel efficiency levels by up to 40 percent and is now included in 75 percent of new cars in Europe. That could rise to nearly 90 percent by 2015.

They are far less common in the United States, mainly due to Americans' aversion to diesel-powered cars, but that is expected to change soon in an era of strict fuel economy standards.

"The turbocharger is a green technology in the sense that it's helping cut emissions and raise fuel economy," said Craig Balis, vice president for engineer at Honeywell Turbo Technologies, in an interview with Reuters. "It's a critical component to get more fuel efficiency out of the engine."

While the mention of turbochargers might have once conjured up images of loud, powerful engines, they have in the meantime become a tool of choice for cutting carbon emissions.

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Dutch satellite navigation company TomTom has unveiled its first navigation system designed for electric vehicles.

The Carminat TomTom Z.E. Live, which will be featured on Renault electric vehicles bearing the Z.E. name, is a collaboration to extend TomTom's navigation product to electric cars.

It uses information received from other parts of the car such as the battery to help plan and optimize routes for all-electric motoring, including telling the driver whether they have enough range to complete a given journey.

Routes can also be planned using 'eco-routing', which automatically selects the most energy-efficient way to complete the journey.

In case a stop is needed on the way, the Carminat TomTom Z.E. Live also contains a list of over 5,000 European charging stations, providing information in real-time about the availability of stations so that drivers can stop and 'fill-up' when necessary.

lets hope it takes you the most efficient route to save a bit of battery power too

Monday, 26 September 2011

Its time to sign up to weight watchers in the name of saving the planet..

Opel Zafira Tourer compact van, as well as new generations of the Porsche 911 sportscar, the BMW 1 Series, the Honda Civic, the Fiat Panda and the Toyota Yaris.

The future, it seems, belongs to small cars. "In western Europe the small car segment has grown from 30 percent in 1990 to 43.5 percent in 2010," says Professor Stefan Bratzel, an auto expert at the Center for Automotive Management. "We forecast the share to rise to around 45 percent by 2015."

While small cars are becoming ever more popular, comfortable and high-spec, a new species of car is emerging from below: so-called microcars. The vehicles of this type being shown in Frankfurt are all still studies, but microcars like the Audi Urban Concept, VW Nils or a minimalist Opel two seater vehicle, reported to be called Rak-E, are aimed at safeguarding the future of the car in big cities.

The engines of these new vehicles point to the second focus of the Frankfurt Motor Show: electric propulsion. The German Automobile Industry Association (VDA), which organizes the show, has devoted an entire hall to electric mobility. But analysts say the media hype over electric cars is premature, and that the big market breakthrough is still some way off. "We still lack the required jump in battery technology," says Nick Margetts of market research firm Jato Dynamics.

But hybrid models are on the rise. Audi will unveil a version of its A8 luxury limousine with a gasoline-electric engine combination. Experts say so-called plug-in hybrid cars, where the battery can be charged via an ordinary power cable, and range extender models like the Opel Ampera that use a combustion engine as an electricity generator will become increasingly important in coming years. Many manufacturers are showing prototypes with such engine configurations.

I can some people will be resigned to taking the bus to go a get their big mac fix.

Sunday, 25 September 2011

from the research labs of the University of California, Berkeley: the scientists buried deep within the University’s electrical engineering department might have found a way to cool all our computers down, and get us back on the Moore’s Law highway.

The researchers have shown that it is possible to reduce the voltage required to keep a charge stored in a capacitor; this has been stalled at around 1 volt per transistor for some time. As the density of transistors increases, so both the power required to operate them, and the amount of heat they throw out rises.

This bottleneck is one of the main triggers for interest in spintronics and quantum computing. But what if conventional silicon can just be made to work better?

From the University’s press release : The solution proposed by [Sayeef Salahuddin, UC Berkeley assistant professor of electrical engineering] and his team is to modify current transistors so that they incorporate ferroelectric materials in their design, a change that could potentially generate a larger charge from a smaller voltage. This would allow engineers to make a transistor that dissipates less heat, and the shrinking of this key computer component could continue.

Ferroelectric materials are those which can hold both positive and negative charge, and can hold that charge even without a voltage being applied. The researchers found that layering a ferroelectric material and an electrical insulator in a capacitor resulted in this negative capacitance – a phenomenon theorised by Salahuddin when he was a graduate student at Purdue Uni.

Saturday, 24 September 2011

Nissan has developed a charger for electric vehicles that costs about half the price of the current product and is also smaller than the one available just now, making it more affordable and easier to install.

According to officials at Nissan, Japan's second biggest carmaker, the new charger will go on sale in the country in November and will reach markets in the US and Europe on later dates which have yet to be announced.

Yokohama-based Nissan, which makes the Leaf electric vehicle, is targeting the sale of 5,000 of the new chargers in Japan by the end of March 2016.

Friday, 23 September 2011

The world’s economies are still in major turmoil, and it does not look as though there is going to be a quick and painless solution in sight anytime soon. Well, this is the result of spending for so many decades without closing in the gap on the deficit for the majority of countries out there. Having said that, the cost of living looks set to increase all the time, and transportation costs do not look likely to drop, either. You might be able to own a car now, but can you afford the fuel?

Hybrid cars as well as electric vehicles could very well be the future so that we will be less dependent on the reserves of ‘black gold’ that are sitting underneath most countries in the Middle East. Opel certainly knows this, which is why they intend to shape the future with their version of an electric car, which is the One Euro. This particular model will be able to seat two (it definitely looks sleek enough to impress more than a single date, especially when you take this for a cruise down the hottest stretch in town on a Saturday night), but it won’t be able to go fast mind you.

Debuting at the 64th Frankfurt International Motor Show, the Opel One Euro was not named so because Opel intends to make a massive loss by selling it for just a single Euro – no sir, the reason behind that moniker is because it is capable of traveling a distance of 100 kilometers at the cost of a single Euro. That’s right, no gimmicks behind this claim, just pure fuel savings, zero emissions and sleek styling and design.

Thursday, 22 September 2011

There are some 3.4 million rented homes in England alone, a 40 per cent rise over the past five years. Many desperate tenants are now falling victim to rogue landlords and greedy lettings agents who are cashing in.
The latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' (Rics) Residential Lettings Survey shows that 25 per cent more chartered surveyors reported a rise in demand than a fall. This rental boom has seen rents soar, with the average rent in England and Wales up 0.6 per cent to £705 per month in July, according to the latest Buy-to-Let Index from LSL Property Services. Tenants in London are finding life even tougher, with rents hitting a record £1,009 per month in July, marking an annual increase of 7.1 per cent.

"It is a landlord's market and this makes life tough for those trying to secure rented accommodation," says David Newnes, the director of LSL Property Services. "With demand far outstripping the supply, it's a real challenge for tenants to secure the properties they want. It's becoming rarer for rental properties to be let for less than their asking prices – and in many cases, agreed rents are exceeding them."

With so many people being forced to rent, more are finding themselves stuck with unscrupulous agents and landlords with nowhere to turn. Housing and homelessness charity Shelter has seen overall complaints about landlords increase by 23 per cent over the past 12 months.

With tenants in such a vulnerable position, the sector is crying out for some big changes. watch this space

Wednesday, 21 September 2011

PLAYING a computer game once meant sitting on the couch and pushing buttons on a controller, but those buttons have been disappearing of late, replaced by human gestures that guide the action.

Soon gestures may be controlling more than just games. Scientists at Microsoft Research and the University of Washington have come up with a new system that uses the human body as an antenna. The technology could one day be used to turn on lights, buy a ticket at a train station kiosk, or interact with a world of other computer applications. And no elaborate instruments would be required.

“You could walk up to a ticket-purchasing machine, stand in front and make a gesture to be able to buy your ticket — or set the kind of gas you want at the gas station,” said Desney Tan, a senior researcher at Microsoft Research and one of the creators of the technology. The system, demonstrated so far only in experiments, is “a fascinating step forward,” said Joseph A. Paradiso, an associate professor of media arts and sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-director of the Things That Think Consortium.

There is no reason to fear that the new technology will affect people’s health, he said; it merely exploits electromagnetic fields that are already in the air. “Suddenly someone takes advantage of it and opens up an example that is potentially useful,” he said of the new gesture technology.

The innovation is potentially inexpensive, as it requires no handheld wireless wand, as the Nintendo Wii does, or the instrumentation of Microsoft’s Kinect, which uses infrared light and cameras to track motion.

Tuesday, 20 September 2011

How many electric vehicles have you seen actually seen on the road? I am not talking about Milk floats. I mean real cars. Do you know anyone who actually uses them as real day-to-day alternatives to petrol or diesel cars?

The trouble is, electric vehicles have always been talked about as the future, but have never quite been able to deliver the practical and economical benefits that are going to take them from being produced in the hundreds, or even thousands, to being produced in hundreds of thousands.

Engineers at Ford predict that by 2025 the electric car market will be between 3 to 10% of cars on the road. Whilst some may see this as slightly pessimistic, until the two major factors of practicality and economics are truly addressed, electric vehicles may always be up and coming, but unfortunately will never arrive.

We will see the amazing this will be if we have a transformation such as in photography… how many of you still use a film camera.

Monday, 19 September 2011

Wiring systems powered by highly-efficient superconductors have long been a dream of science, but researchers have faced such practical challenges such as finding pliable and cost-effective materials. Now researchers at Tel Aviv Univ. have found a way to make an old idea new with the next generation of superconductors.

Boaz Almog and Mishael Azoulay working in the group of Guy Deutscher at TAU's Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy have developed superconducting wires using fibers made of single crystals of sapphire to be used in high powered cables. Factoring in temperature requirements, each tiny wire can carry approximately 40 times more electricity than a copper wire of the same size. They have the potential to revolutionize energy transfer, says Almog.

High power superconductor cables take up much less space and conduct energy more efficiently, making them ideal for deployment across grids of electricity throughout a city. They will also offer a more effective method for collecting energy from renewable sources, such as solar and wind energy. Superconducting wires can also be used for energy storage and enable devices which enhance grid stability.

Sunday, 18 September 2011

Reducing your heating thermostat by 1C can cut up to 10 per cent off your heating costs and for a gas-heated, three-bed semi-detached property, this could work out at a saving of about £55 a year.

ENERGY prices have soared and households will soon feel the pinch of price rises by the big six suppliers in the UK. Families that are struggling to make ends meet will have to contend with average rises of 18 per cent for gas and 16 per cent for electricity with British Gas.

Eon and Scottish and Southern Energy also announced price increases due to come into effect this month and npower will hike prices by 16 per cent for gas and 7 per cent for electricity from October 1. Scottish Power’s rises came into effect last month.

Saturday, 17 September 2011

The shocking figures speak for themselves. In 2009 there were about 100 reported metal thefts per month according to the Energy Networks Association, which represents the electricity and gas network and utility companies. Two years later, in 2011, that figure has risen to 700 thefts per month, and in one calendar month—March this year—it rose to a record 900 reported thefts. We can contrast that with March 2009, when there were around 70 thefts. That is an increase of more than 1000% in two years.

The Association of Chief Police Officers put the annual cost of metal theft to the communications, energy, transport and water industries at £770 million per annum. It is not just electricity that is being targeted, however. The Energy Networks Association and Electricity North West both believe organised crime is involved and thieves are stealing from telecommunications, gas and water infrastructure, rail and tramways, local authority street furniture, such as manhole covers and gates, housing, schools and other buildings. BT reported in October last year that it had had 900 cable theft attacks on its network in the previous six months, affecting more than 100,000 customers. Virgin Media says that the cutting of cables in Teesside alone has cost £166,000 and 1,700 stolen back-up batteries have cost the company a further £680,000. The British Transport Police estimate that over the last three years cable theft has cost the rail industry £43 million and led to more than 16,000 hours of delays. There is evidence that the theft of gates from railway stations is leaving rail networks dangerously exposed. Metal thefts affecting the supply of gas equipment have resulted in fires and explosions.

Friday, 16 September 2011

The smallest electric engine in the world, made of a single molecule was created by researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts.
The engine, created from a single molecule has a size equivalent to one billionth of a meter, according to the study being published in the Nature Nanotechnology magazine, informs bbc.co.uk.
Tiny engines can have various applications in both nanotechnology and medicine.
Nano rotors consist of single molecules were presented by researchers in the past, but the engine developed by scientists at Tufts University is the first of its kind that can be operated with electricity.
People have already discovered in the past that they can make engines powered by light or chemical reactions, but the problem was that in this way billions of such engines are operated at the same time, said Charles Sykes, professor of chemistry at Tufts University, the coordinator of the team that developed this invention.
"What is interesting about our electric motor is that you can marvel and watch the movement of a single engine and see how he behaves in real time," said the american scholar.
The Metilsulfat butyl molecule was placed on a clean copper surface, where her only sulfur atom acted as a pivot.
united States scientists used a special type of electron microscope to induce an electrical charge into the engine and to photograph the molecule as it revolved.
The molecule was spinning in both directions at a speed of 120 rotations / second.
By small changes in these molecules, scientists could use it in the future to generate a certain microwave radiation or coupling these molecules to create nanoelectromecanic systems.
Such devices could be used in medicine, to carry a particular drug in a controlled manner to a specific area of the body.
Until then, Charles Sykes and his team of researchers have already contacted the Guinness Book of World Records for their invention to be officially recognized as the world's smallest electric motor.
For now, the record for the smallest electrical motor is 200 nanometers, according to Guinness Book bau the newly developed motor byTufts University is only 1 nanometer across.

Thursday, 15 September 2011

The better insulated your home the less energy you need to keep it warm and the more you’ll save.
A third of the heat lost in an uninsulated home is through the walls, so insulating them now can be one of the most cost-effective ways to help slash your bills by as much as £110 a year.
Cavity wall insulation is one of the most cost-effective measures you can take and can slice about £115 a year off your heating bill, according to the EST. However, the initial outlay can be about £500. Loft insulation is a simple job that can cost about £250 to fit and then save up to £150 per year. The recommended thickness is 270mm.

There are grants to help with the cost of insulation

About 18 per cent of a home’s wasted heat is lost through its windows, so getting double glazing is another effective energy-saving improvement.

If single glazing is replaced with double glazing you should be able to save about £135 a year in an average property.

Badly fitting doors and windows can be sealed with draught-proofing strips or draught excluders at a cost of up to £200 for savings of around £25 a year.

Wednesday, 14 September 2011

Electric cars will not be able to compete with conventional cars on price until 2030, a report said on Tuesday.
The total cost of ownership - the upfront price and running costs such as fuel and insurance - of environmentally friendly electric vehicles is currently around £5,000 more than petrol and diesel cars, found the study undertaken by consultancy Element Energy and commissioned by the public-private Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LCVP).
The government's climate advisers wants to see 11m electric or plug-in hybrid models on UK roads by 2030, to meet the UK's carbon targets.
But even if fuel prices double to £3 a litre, the authors said, the overall cost of electric cars will be higher than conventional combustion engine cars. Electric cars today cost around £30,000 without a government grant of £5,000 - nearly double the equivalent petrol and diesel rivals. But they are cheaper to run, with a Nissan Leaf costing around 2p per mile compared to 14p for a Ford Focus.
Greg Archer, managing director of the LCVP, said falling battery costs would help electric cars compete in the next 15-20 years. "After 2020 the range of new technology will be more commercially available. It's obvious that there needs to be a reduction in the price of batteries and fuel cells to achieve market share and become competitive. It remains to be seen if [cost] reductions will be achieved, but these [the projections in the report] are not conservative estimates, they are the best estimates based on probability."
He added that there was a very small chance that electric cars and other alternatively fueled vehicles would become competitive by 2020, but said that was around a one in 20 likelihood. "Major technology takes a couple of decades before it receives parity with current technology," said Archer.

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

Every week in the UK someone dies in an electrical accident at home, and one in eight has had a serious electrical shock. Yet many people in Bristol continue to put themselves at risk because their home electrics are outdated.

Do you have adequate RCD (residual current device / earth trip) protection.
an RCD fuse box could save your life, protect against dangerous electrical shock and reduce the risk of electrical fires.

We all use electrical appliances daily and it's natural to want to solve simple electrical faults, but please get your electrical system professionally checked

For safety around the home, don't use any appliances, lighting and switches that are faulty or visibly damaged.

if you cant afford a new fuse box, a plug-in RCD costs as little as £10.
a modern fusebox (consumer unit) with built-in RCD-protection could be a life-saver for you and your family."

What is an RCD consumer unit?
A consumer unit is the same as a fusebox and is used to control and distribute electricity around the home. It usually contains a main switch, fuses or circuit breakers and one or more RCD's (residual current devices) RCDs are sensitive switching device that trips a circuit when an earth fault is detected.

Scientists have developed a hand-held device which delivers a 'turbo-charged' vaccine into muscles to treat malignant melanoma, an aggressive type of skin cancer that kills thousands every year.

Developed by researchers in the UK, the device contains a syringe needle and four electrodes. It's held against the patient's upper arm or leg, while the needle contains the vaccine itself, a brief electrical pulse from electrodes creates an opening which allows the DNA to enter cells.

The researchers said the use of electricity can boost the treatment's potency by 100-fold, the Daily Mail reported.

The device is currently being tested on 22 patients with malignant melanoma at four British hospitals. But researchers hope it could also help with a number of other cancers such as lung, throat, liver, stomach, prostate, ovarian and bladder.

Monday, 12 September 2011

People should be given discounts on their home insurance for keeping their properties electrically safe, one expert has suggested.

Cherry Read, head of communications and campaigns at the Electrical Safety Council, explained that this makes sense as 50 per cent of domestic fires are caused by electricity.

She continued: "We've been working very closely with the government in Scotland to try to encourage a five-year check on electrical safety. I think those kind of things would make a big difference."
Ms Read emphasised that more generally needs to be done to raise awareness of electrical safety, as it is not something that is at the forefront of people's minds.

Many of the mistakes made in the home can be avoided if people keep a better eye on their fuse box and seeing whether it has a residual current device installed, she commented.

Sunday, 11 September 2011

Don’t forget, if you’re buying any new white goods look out for the Energy Efficiency Recommended logo. This is a distinctive blue logo found on goods such as fridges, tumble dryers, dishwashers and lightbulbs.
Replacing all the remaining traditional lightbulbs in your home with energy-saving ones could result in annual savings of about £37 a year.

Also, don’t leave things on standby. A phone left charging overnight can cost £10 a year. The same for a heated towel rail in the bathroom.

Saturday, 10 September 2011

One of the best ways to save on home energy bills is by watching your power consumption.

Many suppliers run schemes offering free monitors to help their customers become more energy efficient. The device will help you see which appliances use the most energy.
Nevertheless, the monitors themselves are only tools to make families more aware of usage. You won’t see savings unless you change your behaviour.

EnergySmart is a free online service that includes a free energy monitor to help save the average household up to £125.

You might want to invest in an electronic timer. This gadget costs as little as £2.50 and will ensure that when you are in bed or at work you are not leaving appliances on standby, saving an estimated 8 per cent on your bill. Visit britishgas.co.uk/howtosave for more advice.

Friday, 9 September 2011

With the nights drawing in and temperatures soon to drop we will all be using more electricity and gas to light and heat our homes.
Making sure you’re paying the cheapest energy tariff is a must. Using comparison websites you can easily switch to save money, particularly if you’ve been with your supplier for a long time.
However, there is no point saving money on your bill if you end up using more energy because it is leaking out of your house.
One of the simplest ways to save money, and help the planet, is to implement energy-saving measures around your home. Improvements can make your home more energy efficient and many can be carried out relatively cheaply.
New EU legislation on energy performance certificates is set to come into effect in 2012 and will make it compulsory for energy ratings to be published in all “homes for sale” adverts. So if you move in years to come you will also have made your home more desirable by implementing some energy-efficient measures.
The Energy Saving Trust (EST) says savings of £300 a year can be made through insulation, improving your heating system and by being energy efficient.

Thursday, 8 September 2011

More energy is used to heat the water in your home than any other electrical appliance, so it’s worth investing in your system to get it up to scratch.
You can get an annual boiler check which could save you having to replace the whole thing at a later date by spotting faults early.
The older your boiler is the less efficient it is likely to be, so if your model is 15 years or older you should consider changing it. The initial outlay is not cheap at more than £1,000 but by replacing your old G-rated boiler with a new A-rated condensing model you can save up to £235 a year, says the Energy Saving Trust.
If your current boiler is working well keep it that way. Fitting a jacket to your hot water tank can cut wastage and save about £35 a year, while protecting your hot water pipes with insulating material can also save you £10 annually.

Wednesday, 7 September 2011

The Tech
World is moving towards more zero emission vehicles. Therefore, a lot of development is occurring in the field of electric vehicles. However, they do have the major problem of battery drainage and thus, its frequent recharging. People are reluctant to buy, due to fear of being stranded.

A R&D company in Connecticut has come with the laser turbine technology. The car powered with this technology can run throughout its life with only 8 gm of thorium. The technology combines thorium and laser plumbing technology that powers a steam turbine. They are claiming to build their first prototype by 2014.

What's new? (bit techie)
USAF revealed this brand new technology very recently. The technology will not employ any radioactive reactor. It is a high-energy generation by lasing thorium. The fission reaction delivers more energy than this technology, but thorium does not belong to class of fissile material. It needs a lot of processing before it can sustain any fission reaction. Moreover, the laser technology does not employ any neutron bombardment, thus it makes fission nearly impossible. It is also a cheap technology due to abundance of thorium. The IC engine will not require nuclear fission grade safety thus, making it cheaper

What's refreshing?
Unlike nuclear fission and chemical combustion, the technology does not release any toxic wastes or radiations. However, thorium belongs to radioactive class of element; therefore, a precaution is required for spent fuel disposal. An aluminum foil is sufficient to prevent its radiation surge that is utilized in electric car engine and its disposal is safe and cheaper. The technology is completely safe and we will not have to wear any protective suit while driving the car. The car will be completely zero emission and will be sufficiently powerful to fulfill your racing needs, the task which is nearly impossible with conventional electrical engine.

How it works? The technology is brainchild of Charles Stevens, owner of Laser Power Systems (LPS). They are working towards its scaling down to level of car engines. It employs the technology, developed way back in 1960, to create uranium laser. The technology employs bombardment of thorium with laser, which produced a big splash of heat waves. These heat waves then heat the water in the boiler, creating steam, which runs the turbine to produce electricity. The electric engine of the car is a scaled down version. The car will use only 8 gm of Thorium and a laser power system, and can run for a lifetime. There are abundant thorium reserves in India and the US. However, the problem lies with its lack of enthusiasm in its mining as normal reactors does not need any thorium.

The impact
pending trials the technology may have a big impact on car market and oil based economy. It will lower down the need for fossil fuel to a bare minimum. It will also bring on a revolution in electric car sales due to its no input and zero emission advantage.

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

The recommended time between periodic inspections is 10 years for a house. This is due to the fact that electrics deteriorate with time and usage.

Have a think about it – when was the last time your house had an electrical safety check-up?

Why Do I Need One?
Perhaps you are a landlord. Perhaps you intend to sell your home. Perhaps your home electrics play up now and again resulting in power cuts or blown fuses. Just like you maintain your property to combat rotten wooden windows, or the onset of mould & damp, you should have your electrics checked for safety.
Modern day standards are more scrupulous than what they were in the 60s. This could mean older properties are actually in need of an upgrade.

What Does A Periodic Inspection Involve?
A periodic inspection report (PIR) will identify if any of your electrical items, or the circuits that your electrics run on are overloaded, damaged, defective or not up to scratch with health and safety requirements.
It will look at the fuse board, switches, sockets and light fixtures, the wiring and cables in your household all the while taking into consideration wear and tear, damage and potential hazards.
Whilst it may seem like you are opening yourselves up to a bill, a decent tradesman will be more interested in prioritising your safety.

Think of it this way, if your car tyre was incorrectly fitted and meant the brakes weren’t functioning properly, would you continue to drive around in it?

How Long Will It Take?
This one is open to debate, but a typical 3 bed house having a PIR should take between half a day This will include a detailed check of all wiring, sockets, fittings and the fuse box, followed by a written report.
Whilst the offer for a quick, cheap PIR is attractive, be aware that you’re unlikely to be getting any real value for your money. The inspector may cut corners, meaning potential hazards go unnoticed and you eventually pay out for repairs that could have been caught early.

Perhaps most importantly, the whole reason of an electrical inspection is safety so having a decent PIR should mean less chance of freak accidents.

otherwise
You want to ensure that you get a few quotes from local electricians in the area. Ask friends for trustworthy electricians they’ve used, or can recommend.
At the time of enquiring, make sure to ask the electrician:
•What qualifications do they have – are they City & Guilds (C&G) qualified?
•Do they work to the national safety standard?
•What does their insurance policy cover?
Whilst a plumber may promote the fact that they’re on the Gas Safe Register, with electricians you should check is if their inspection meets BS7671, which covers official Wiring Regulations. Introduced in 2008

Monday, 5 September 2011

Many children’s bedrooms are potential electrical danger zones, according to new research from the AA’s Home Emergency Response Service.

It reveals that although children have a large number of electrical appliances in their rooms, one in three (31 per cent) is rarely or never supervised when using electrical items.
The survey also shows that the wiring in the average British home is more than 16 years old, and 12 per cent of homes have wiring over 30 years old. It says that the combination of old wiring and inappropriate use of electrical appliances could be putting many homes at risk of electrical fires.
With the research highlighting that children’s bedrooms host a wealth of electrical appliances used with little or no adult supervision, these could be among the areas of the house most at risk.
There are more than 3,000 fires a year caused in UK homes by electrical circuits, resulting in several deaths and hundreds of casualties, and thousands more accidental fires ignited by electrical appliances.

Sunday, 4 September 2011

Mr Schmidt, who has a degree in electrical engineering and a PhD in computer science, told the Edinburgh Television Festival in the keynote MacTaggart lecture that he was “flabbergasted to learn that computer science isn’t even taught as standard” in schools in the UK, and that Britain had gradually “stopped nurturing its polymaths”.
“There’s been a drift to the humanities – engineering and science aren’t championed. Even worse, both sides seem to denigrate the other…you’re either a ‘luvvy’ or a ‘boffin’,” he said.
“I saw the other day that on The Apprentice Alan Sugar said engineers are no good at business. Really? I don’t think we’ve done too badly.”
In 2010 Google, which employs around 10,000 engineers worldwide including “several hundred” in the UK, turned over $29.3bn.
Mr Schmidt, who as head of the web search giant was the first person from outside the broadcast industry ever to have delivered the prestigious MacTaggart, also used the platform to berate the UK for its track record of growing global businesses.

We @ DAW say - Give 100 of Schmidts fellow countrymen a blank map of the world and ask them to mark Africa, India, Iraq, Israel and China and only about 5% will score 100%. please Clean up your own backyard first m8!

Saturday, 3 September 2011

Toyota has already announced that it intends to set a new electric car lap record at the Nurburging, but now the automaker has some extra exciting news for EV performance enthusiasts – you’ll be able to buy one!
Just days ahead of the planned record breaking attempt, Toyota has said the electric SR9 racer will be available for retail sale, well, some if it will anyway. Consumers will be able to buy the car’s electric drivetrain, battery, twin electric motors and lithium-ceramic batteries. Buyers won’t, however, be able to purchase the body shell or lightweight chassis from Radical – although we suppose you could buy both individually and match them up yourself.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but the lucky few that do purchase these sophisticated items will likely have to shell out some serioussss wonga.

Friday, 2 September 2011

Batteries are often the most expensive component in an EV and also the most difficult part to construct. Many rely on increasingly costly rare-earth metals, pushing up the overall cost of the car.

Few have the range that gasoline users want, usually powering the car for less than 100 miles on a single charge. The batteries with more capacity tend to be much heavier and bulkier, weighing down the vehicle and leaving less room for passengers.

The life span of the average battery is unknown, and replacing one could cost thousands of dollars and pose a recycling conundrum. And because there aren't enough data on how batteries perform after years of wear and tear, engineers have taken extra precautions with their designs, raising prices even more.

The complications have caused many potential EV drivers to remain with fossil fuels, which they view as comparatively cheap, plentiful and reliable.

Thursday, 1 September 2011

The OpportunitiesAlthough there will only be modest growth in the construction market, the sustainability agenda willprovide significant opportunities in renewable power generation as the programme to upgrade theUK’s existing building stock gets underway. Work will be required on virtually every building in the UK,with demand for systems to minimise energy consumption requiring the skills of electrical contractorsfor installation.

The government has said it will encourage increased use of small and medium sized contractors onpublic sector projects, providing new opportunities for many electrical contractors.

SMART meters will be installed in every home and many buildings will incorporate remote controlmonitoring with high speed internet allowing specialist centres to take charge of this on behalf ofbuilding occupants. With far greater use of high-tech electrical systems, demand for electrical andcommunication installations will be high both for installation and when they fail.

Installation of local neighbourhood power generation and vehicle charging networks will provide newopportunities for electrical contractors, as will the growth of high speed broadband with networks inevery building.

Electrical contractors could develop their skills and knowledge of heating and lighting controltechniques in order to provide energy efficiency services, or become Green Deal or Green Energyinstallers, replacing other trades. As well as installation services there will be opportunities forelectrical contractors to become Green Deal Assessors.